Surgical site infections are frequently caused by bacteria commonly found on the surface of the skin. Since 1867, when Joseph Lister discovered the link between microbes and patient mortality after operations, he coined the term “antiseptic” after discovering that certain surgical preparations could be applied before surgery to eliminate bacteria. Practitioners have used aseptic techniques to reduce post-operative infections ever since.
In order to reduce bacteria, antiseptics are used prior to conducting the surgery to clean and disinfect the surgical site. Types of antiseptics include alcohols, iodine or iodine-containing compounds and chlorohexidine gluconate among others. There are two primary types of iodine-containing compounds, tincture of iodine, and iodophors. Tincture of iodine is an alcohol solution and was one of the first antiseptics used. However, iodophors are more commonly used today to prepare a surgical site for surgery.
The most common aseptic technique for sterilizing a surgical site requires application of an antiseptic solution immediately prior to the surgical procedure in the sterile operating theater after the patient has been anesthetized. When performing surgery to the extremities, i.e. leg or arm, the entire extremity is typically cleaned with the antiseptic solution. A sponge is immersed in the antiseptic solution, then applied to an area of the extremity with a scrubbing action and then discarded. A new sponge is immersed into the antiseptic solution and applied to a different area of the extremity. This process is then repeated until the entire area has been scrubbed. The scrubbing action physically dislodges bacterial colonies. Once the scrubbing is completed, another antiseptic solution is reapplied with a sponge in a painting action using a new sponge with each repeated application. After this procedure the surgical personnel must wait at least five to seen minutes before beginning the surgical procedure. The delay is required to allow the antiseptic solution to disinfect the surgical site.
There are several problems with the prior art procedure for disinfecting a surgical site. During the application of the antiseptic solution to the extremity, numerous sponges are required to be used and discarded, thus creating waste that must be handled and properly discarded. There is also a possibility that the surgical site will not be completely covered, thus creating a potential for bacteria and other contaminants remaining during surgery and serving as a potential source for post-surgical infection. The application of the antiseptic solution is prone to splashing and uncontrolled spills. Excess antiseptic solution spills creating a potential safety hazard and a potential for infection.
The prior art procedure for applying the antiseptic solution is also costly and time consuming. Operating theaters are expensive to maintain and operate. The time that the antiseptic solution takes to be effective costs the patient and the hospital a significant amount of money. The delay also slows the throughput of the operating theater, thereby raising the cost of the procedure to the hospital and the operating staff.
The prior art procedure puts the patient at an increased risk of morbidity and mortality by increasing the amount of time the patient is under anesthesia.
The current invention provides a device and method for applying an antiseptic solution to a surgical site prior to surgery but outside the operating theater thus reducing anesthesia time along with operating room time and cost. The invention also contains the spills and reduces waste. Since the application of the antiseptic can be accomplished outside the operating theater, additional time and care can be used in applying the antiseptic, thereby reducing post-surgical infection.
Various prior art devices and methods have been used in the past to cover a wound, protect a wound site, or apply medicine to a wound site. But none of the prior art has been used to streamline application of a surgical antiseptic prior to surgery.
One example is U.S. Pat. No. 2,661,739 issued to Caskey. Caskey discloses a casing which is made from elastic material to fit against an extremity to hold an absorbent material against a wound. The casing is surrounded by a fabric jacket to hold the casing and absorbent material in place and exclude contamination from the environment. However, the casing is only disclosed to be used after a wound has occurred and it does not disclose using the device to pre-treat an area prior to surgery. Additionally, it does not allow for the scrubbing of medicine against the skin through the device.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,992,233 B2 issued to Drake, et al. Drake discloses a delivery system for a flowable medicine to a wound in a confined area. Flowable medicine is contained in a strip which is adhesively applied to the skin such that the medicine is delivered to the wound. The flowable medicine is released when removable seal is removed. Drake does not disclose using the device for application of medicine prior to a wound occurring or to a large area of the body. It is limited to the area covered by the strip. Drake also does not disclose scrubbing the medicine against the skin through the device.
A third example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,664,434 B2 issued to Cominsky. Cominsky discloses using a sealed bag around a wound to contain bodily fluids. The device includes an absorbent layer to absorb the bodily fluids exuding from a wound. It does not disclose using the bag prior to the wound or introduction of an antiseptic fluid within the bag. It also does not disclose the scrubbing of an antiseptic through the device.